Somehow With You Everything's Better
by LilleyBelle
Summary: Wanda felt the ache in the words he spoke. He wanted to belong, he wanted a family to fill the void in his life, in his heart. Gently covering one of his hands with her own, she moved closer so that she now brushed up against his arm, offering not only her warmth, which he didn't need, but her support, something she was willing to give whether he wanted it or not.


**So this was my attempt at a stand alone piece. As always I hope you enjoy and neither character belong to me. Leave me a review to let me know what you think!**

She felt someone brush up against her arm as she stood looking out from the balcony across the cold New York night. The warmth of the person next to her seeped into her bones, warming her with just the slightest bit of contact. Of course she knew it was him before his arm ever touched hers. She definitely knew it was him before his voice filled the chilly, late autumn air around them.

"I don't think I should have come tonight." Was all he said from his place beside her. A quick glance his way and she saw that he too was gazing out at the city skyline before them. She took a moment to take in his profile, tense and rigid with a stern expression set across his face that she thought was most unfitting for him, or at least the version of him that she had begun to get to know lately. He was uncomfortable here and it was blatantly obvious to her before she looked at him. Wanda could feel the anxiety rolling off of him just as she could feel the warmth from his body.

"Perhaps, but you did." She stated simply, her accent thick in the cold air. "Something in you must have told you otherwise or you would not have shown up at all." Wanda pulled her sweater a little closer to her body as a gust of wind whipped around them, dying down just as quickly as it had appeared. She heard him chuckle a bit and she began to focus even more than she had been, trying to commit the sound of his small laugh to memory.

"I guess you're right Doll." He said turning to look at her for the first time since he'd joined her outside. He took in the black leggings she was wearing that were tucked into her knee high boots and the green sweater that he noted rivaled the green of her eyes and how it fit her snugly, but nicely he thought, taking in every curve the woman before him had. Her hair was left down and wavy tonight and he had to admit that he liked it like this best; free and untamed, as he often saw her or at least the side of her she let him see. As he looked upon her further he noticed the cross of her arms and the shivers that ran up and down her spine. As much as he wanted them to be caused for another reason he knew it was due to the cold surrounding them.

"Jesus, Wanda!" He exclaimed. It's like 35 degrees out here! Here, take this." He said, shrugging out of his coat and wrapping it around her shoulders, and watching as she slid her arms into the sleeves and pulled it tightly around her body.

He stood there, transfixed by her wearing his jacket. It was just a plain leather jacket that he liked to wear to shield himself from the winter chill, but on her it looked much less ordinary. Kind of like her he thought-not ordinary, set apart from everyone else, an anomaly-a beautiful deviation from the standard pattern of people on this planet. To him, she was something else.

"Thanks." She said, easing her hands into the pockets of the coat. "I hope you won't suffer without it." She said taking in his appearance in a light blue button up shirt. She briefly thought of his eyes upon seeing his shirt, but the thought that nothing could compare to them and the stunning color flitted through her mind.

"Don't really need it I suppose. Guess I still wear one out of habit, you know." He said with that sly smile of his drifting across his lips.

"Yeah." She breathed in response.

The pair remained there in silence for a beat longer. "I think it's good you came tonight, James. It shows that you are willing to at least try and be a part of," She hesitated for a moment trying to find the right word to describe their little family, group, super hero team thing that they had. "This." She finally resigned to saying while waving her hand around and gesturing to both of them and the others still inside.

He smiled at her and gripped the railing in front of him as he turned back to face the darkened sky, the smile that she had just witnessed disappearing from his face.

"You do not think the same?" She asked him, testing the waters, wanting to know his thoughts, but wishing to respect his privacy. Entering his mind would never be an option for her. She knew what had been done to him and she promised him early on in their friendship that he would NEVER have to fear her doing that to him. She understood his pain and she made sure that he understood she'd never inflict any on him. Any answer she was given would come from him voluntarily and willingly, not from intrusion.

"I don't know Wanda." He began finally settling his thoughts enough to answer her. "Sometimes I feel like this can work, I mean really work."

Wanda felt the ache in the words he spoke. He wanted to belong, he wanted a family to fill the void in his life, in his heart. Gently covering one of his hands with her own, she moved closer so that she now brushed up against his arm, offering not only her warmth, which he didn't need, but her support, something she was willing to give whether he wanted it or not.

"It can James. You've worked so hard to prove that it IS working." She offered soothingly. "Look at all that has happened since we've been back."

She knew that he was thinking back to their arrival home after everything that had happened with the Accords and all. At first it had been rough, not really knowing where he fit in or who he could trust or even who trusted him. He knew Steve was in his corner and it wasn't as if any of the others had mistreated him or thought him not worth helping, but he knew it was unnerving having someone as unpredictable as him around. He wasn't in complete control of his mind as long as those words were etched into his brain and as much as it concerned the others around them it frightened him even more.

It hadn't taken long before he made a new ally though. Someone that was almost as troubled as he was. Wanda hadn't been standoffish or distant in any way. She had welcomed him into her space, her life, all with a smile. She respected his quiet nature at times and unlike Steve or some of the others allowed him the peace he needed to sort through things on his own. They often met in the late hours of night either in the kitchen or the living quarters after either a nightmare had plagued one or both of them or insomnia refused to release them from its restless grasp. It had been in those small moments of the predawn hours that a friendship had been born and a connection made between a soldier and a witch, both trying to live with a heavy past and forge a new and better future for themselves.

He found himself leaning into her a bit as they stood there feeling her small form against his larger one, her small hand now drawing circles on the back of his hand. "I know, and when we're at the base or on missions I feel like I can be who I want to be, a guy who's good at his job and has people he cares about in his life. I feel like a part of something."

Wanda stopped her movement. "But?"

She heard him inhale deeply and watched as he puffed it out into the night sky. "But when he looks at me, I know he still sees me for the killer that I was, that I am."

Wanda's fingers ceased their movement on his hand. "And then, it all snaps back to me that maybe, just maybe I shouldn't be here."

There was no sound, no noise filtering through her mind at the sound of those last four words he'd uttered. _"I shouldn't be here."_ How could he possibly think that? How could he even believe that? Didn't he know that he mattered just as much as any of the rest of them?

Wanda's hand firmly gripped his as she pulled it from the railing to hang between them as she turned her body to face him, silently urging him to do the same.

"You know, there are some that might say the same about me, or at least they used to." She watched their joined hands as they were suddenly engulfed by a light, red mist swirling around. She noticed how he didn't flinch or make an attempt to pull away from her hold on him. In fact he held her hand a bit tighter. "That I was dangerous, volatile even."

His hand remained held firmly in her own as he also used his strength to pull her closer. "They didn't know you very well then. You're not like that Wanda."

Her eyes met his and in them she saw the faith that he put into her. He truly believed what he said-he truly believed in her; her inability to willingly inflict harm on others, to put herself above everyone else, to take advantage of a power that had been given to her. She could see all of that in the depths of his brilliant blue eyes and she was both thrilled and grateful at the amount of confidence he entrusted her with.

Smiling gently as the mist dissipated Wanda reached to smooth her other hand along his cheek, scraping the stubble covering his skin as she did so.

"The same can be said of you James. That same amount of conviction and loyalty you place in me is how I also see you. The others will too-in time. Just give them time."

Her thumb stroked along his jaw as she stood there, watching him, waiting for him to respond. She could tell that he wanted to believe what she'd said about the others, to one day hope that they'd all be able to move on from the terrible deeds that he'd done. She could see the dream of hope sparking to life beneath the surface of him and she smiled softly at the thought of him finally accepting that it was a possibility.

Withdrawing her hand from his face, Wanda began to turn away from him, pulling her hand as she went, only to be snatched back to face him again, only this time closer than before.

"James," she gasped, taken off guard by his sudden action.

"Conviction and loyalty are pretty big words, ya know. You can't just go throwing things like that around." He stated calmly, looking down into her widened green eyes.

"No?" She questioned, her voice a mere whisper.

"No." He responded, a bit of a smile gracing his lips as he shook his head back and forth.

"And why not?" She countered, as she attempted to compose herself.

"Words like that mean something Wanda- at least to me they do." He spoke a little softer now, the world outside of them once again frozen as the only thing of any importance was what was occurring between the two of them in this very moment. "They mean something big."

"What do they mean to you James?" She asked, almost breathless.

Bucky's eyes closed as that same small smile grew into an all out grin. Opening his eyes he fixed his gaze upon hers, curious as to what he would say next.

"It means that you're in my corner, that you believe in me no matter what." He paused and in the span of that moment she didn't think either of them took a breath. "It means you care-" he swallowed hard, almost choking on the amount of emotion behind the words before he could finish speaking them.

"It means you care-about me."

Wanda felt his free hand gently press against the small of her back. There was fluttering in her stomach at the added touch and she couldn't help but release a sigh as she melted into his hold. She knew he was right, she knew how she felt about him. He was not only her friend, but someone her soul connected with. It wasn't a coincidence that their two battered, and broken souls found each other in this crazy, mixed up world. This was the reality of a fate promised to both of them long ago. She felt her cheeks warm at both his hand on her back and his observation about her.

"You're right James-I do." She said, rising to her tip-toes and gently placing a kiss on his rough cheek. Pulling back she was both amused and amazed to see his eyes closed and the width of the smile on his handsome face. "Tell me James-do you "care" for me also?" She asked, playfully, knowing full well he did, but anxious to hear his response.

His eyes shot open instantly at her question and she was met with an intensity that was reserved for the battlefield. She supposed it was an appropriate look though as he was set on conquering something at this moment and instead of being filled with fear as many of his challengers so often were, she met his gaze with her own solid one, awaiting his answer.

However, his answer never came in the form she was expecting. Instead it came as his lips crashed into hers and the rest of the world melted away, leaving the two of them sharing something beautiful with one another, something that had originally derived from their shared brokenness, only to fuel their collective healing.

Pulling away breathless, foreheads resting against each others' the pair stood silent, breathing in air and all of the changes that had just taken place.

"Did that answer your question?" Bucky asked, trying to catch his breath, all while keeping a mix between a teasing smirk and a dopey grin on his face.

Wanda just hummed, a tinkle of a laugh escaping her lips as she tenderly grasped his face between her small, delicate hands and pulled him back down to meet her waiting lips.


End file.
